Paolo Di Canio launched a staunch defence of his character and his past
yesterday. On his first full day in charge of Sunderland, the Italian denied
that he is a racist and pleaded to be judged on footballing issues.

Less than 24 hours after David Miliband resigned as the club’s nonexecutive
vice-chairman “in the light of the new manager’s past political statements”,
Margaret Byrne, the Sunderland chief executive, expressed disappointment
“that some people are trying to turn the appointment of a head coach into a
political circus”.

Miliband’s decision was partially informed by a 2005 interview with Di Canio,
who